LAKEWOOD | Cherokee Trail senior Maddie Leatherbury remembers the first time she made it to the Class 5A state meet to throw the discus.
As a sophomore in 2012, Leatherbury finished dead last in the 18-thrower field with an effort that traveled just a little over 95 feet, a performance she attributed to being unprepared for the mental focus required to succeed on the big stage.
Lessons learned served her better in her junior season, as she threw 10 feet further and ended up on the medal podium in eighth place, which was all a precursor to her performance Thursday on the opening day of the 5A state track meet at Jefferson County Stadium. Leatherbury finished her career with her best result, a fourth-place finish, with a throw of 124 feet, 5 inches.
“I came out here sophomore year and was not mentally prepared, so I think threw a 97 and finished dead last,” Leatherbury said. “It’s a mental game, you have to get your mind straight.”
Leatherbury came away much more pleased at state than in the past two seasons, but her performance at the LoboCat Roundup on April 25 in Fort Collins still stands out as her highlight to the season. Not only did she set her PR of 128-1, Leatherbury threw two feet farther than Rocky Mountain’s Kelcey Bedard, the 2013 5A girls state discus champion.
“To throw a PR and beat the state champion in girls discus last year, I was pretty excited about that,” she said.
Leatherbury missed making state in the shot put by one spot, but threw a PR of 34-3 1/2 at last week’s Centennial League Championships.
Her high school competitive career now over, Leatherbury is moving on to compete at Colorado State-Pueblo, where she plans to enter the Automotive Industry Management program.
Sophomore Amazing Ashby added a point for her ninth-place finish in the long jump to give Cherokee Trail a total of seven points on the first day, which has the Cougars in a tie for 12th place through the first five events.
Sophomore Shayna Yon qualified for the finals in the 100 and 200 meters for the Cougars, who also had its 4×200 meter relay earn itself a finals berth.
Smoky Hill junior Ann Mahnke — who also finished dead last in her first trip to state the previous season — made a Leatherbury-like rise in her second try as she finished seventh in the discus.
Mahnke, who is also qualified in the shot put, did PR with her top throw of 115-10.
Junior Melanie Vasina also contributed half a point for the Buffaloes with her ninth-place result in the pole vault.
Eaglecrest didn’t put any points on the scoreboard on the opening day, but the Raptors set themselves up for quite a few in the coming days.
The school’s 800 meter sprint medley relay team posted the fastest time in prelims and the 4×200 meter relay qualified for finals with the third-best time, while individually, senior Tashay Brown made the 200 meter finals and junior Victoria Coombe advanced in the 100 meter hurdles.
Grandview also goes into the second day of competition looking for its first points, though freshman Michaela Onyenwere made the finals of both the 100 and 200 meters.
Junior Sylvana Ross qualified for the finals in the 400 meters, senior Karli Cumber made the 100 meter hurdles final and the Wolves’ 4×200 meter relay also advanced.
Full first day state results, here.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. Facebook: Aurora Prep Sentinel
CLASS 5A GIRLS STATE TRACK MEET
Girls 5A team scores (through five events): 1. Fort Collins 38 points; T2. Cherry Creek 15; T2. Arvada West 15; 4. Fairview 14; 5. Monarch 13; 6. Loveland 12; 7. ThunderRidge 11; 8. Castle View 10.5; T9. Denver East 10; T9. Fountain-Fort Carson 10; 11. George Washington 8; T12. CHEROKEE TRAIL 7; T12. Brighton 7; T12. Fossil Ridge 7; T15. Lakewood 6; T15. Horizon 6; T15. Highlands Ranch 6; T18. Rocky Mountain 5; T18. Rampart 5; T20. Rock Canyon 4; T20. Pine Creek 4; T20. Arapahoe 4; 23. SMOKY HILL 3.5; T24. Pomona 3; T24. Mountain Vista 3; 26. Boulder 2; 27. Legend 1
4×800 meter relay: 1. Fort Collins, 9 minutes, 6.06 seconds; 2. Monarch, 9:13.49; 3. Fairview, 9:19.22; 4. ThunderRidge, 9:19.50; 5. Cherry Creek 9:20.50; 6. Fossil Ridge, 9:26.80; 7. Mountain Vista, 9:28.64; 8. Loveland, 9:32.30; 9. Pine Creek, 9:33.96; Aurora result: 14. Smoky Hill (Jamie Jezier, Emmah Johannes, Chloe Andrie, Brynell Yount), 9:46.10
Long jump: 1. Chyna Ries (Denver East), 20 feet, 4 1/2 inches; 2. Audra Koopman (Fort Collins), 18-8 1/2; 3. Stephanie Bess (Arvada West), 17-11; 4. Ciera Morgan (Highlands Ranch), 17-6; 5. Frankie Noeldner (Rocky Mountain), 17-5; 6. Jayla Balman (Rock Canyon), 17-2 3/4; 7. Megan McCabe (Cherry Creek), 17-0; 8. Chasidy Horton (Fountain-Fort Carson), 16-6 3/4; 9. AMAZING ASHBY (CHEROKEE TRAIL), 16-6 1/4; Other Aurora results: Shayna Yon (Cherokee Trail), DNS
Pole vault: 1. Heather Waite (Loveland), 11 feet, 9 inches; 2. Stephanie Bess (Arvada West), 11-9; T3. Christina Stathakis (Castle View), 11-3; T3. Megan McCabe (Cherry Creek), 11-3; 5. Gabrielle Smith (ThunderRidge), 10-9; 6. Makenzie Patarino (Lakewood), 10-9; 7. Chloe Woest (Fossil Ridge), 9-9; 8. Mikaela Lodl (Lakewood), 9-9; T9. MELANIE VASINA (SMOKY HILL), 9-3; T9. Avery Paxton (Cherry Creek), 9-3
Discus: 1. Josephine Natrasevschi (Fort Collins), 148 feet, 7 inches; 2. Gina Coleman (Fountain-Fort Carson), 132-9; 3. Deziree Lipsett (Brighton), 128-2; 4. MADDIE LEATHERBURY (CHEROKEE TRAIL), 124-5; 5. August Raskie (Rampart) 117-11; 6. Maya Brown (Castle View), 117-9; 7. ANN MAHNKE (SMOKY HILL), 115-10; 8. Sydney Marr (Pine Creek), 114-8; 9. Amanda Skarban (Pine Creek), 113-6; Other Aurora result: 11. Charley Hatcher (Cherokee Trail), 110-0
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. Facebook: Aurora Prep Sentinel
